I began writing for Forbes in 2010. It was just as the economy was starting to perk up and a fascinating time to cover the stock market, which I did for three months until I switched beats in September 2010. Now I contribute to the Leadership channel, with a focus on jobs and careers–-another hot topic in a time when people are vigorously hunting for jobs or desperately trying to hold on to the ones they have. I have a BA from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in journalism from Hofstra University. Follow me on Twitter @JacquelynVSmith, subscribe to me on Google+, or email me at jsmith [at] forbes [dot] com.

Interview Body Language Mistakes That Can Cost You The Job

You’ve sent in your perfectly manicured résumé and flawless cover letter. You’ve researched the company and gave brilliant responses to tough interview questions. You’re probably a strong candidate—but forget to smile, slouch in your chair or fail to make eye contact during the interview, and you could be out of the running.

“A candidate can give out thousands of non-verbal cues within the first minute of meeting a hiring manager, and those messages make more of an impact than the words that you use during the interview,” says Patti Wood, a body language expert and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma (to be released October, 2012). “Our body language says a lot about who we are and our emotional state, and poor body language often sends a message that we are stressed or fearful.”

Wood says don’t wait until you’re in the hot seat to start focusing on your body language. Be aware of your posture, your facial expressions and your gestures from the moment you arrive.

Author and career expert Dan Burns agrees. “I try to stress to people that the first impression you make happens before you even sit down to interview,” he says. “The hiring manager will look at your face, your hair, what you’re wearing and the image you are projecting, all before you have had a chance to formally meet.”

Once the interviewer greets you, make eye contact and offer a palm-to-palm handshake that is not too strong and not too weak. Keep an appropriate distance as he or she greets you. Relax your body and smile. “Don’t freeze,” Wood says. “Candidates often stiffen up when they are walking in to an interview.”

Once you’re in the hot seat, find an appropriate place to set down your belongings. Don’t put your briefcase or purse on your lap or on the table. Sit up straight, avoid touching your face and hair, and don’t cross your arms or hide your hands. “Don’t be afraid to gesture,” Wood says. Gesturing shows that you’re enthusiastic and expressive. It can also help access more information in your brain and create vocal variation, she adds.

Power and confidence are typically conveyed through body language, and so are your stress level and how open and honest you are. “An employer will get a sense of who you are and how you will perform under pressure by assessing your body language before, during and after the interview,” Wood says.

“Interview body language mistakes may tell the hiring manager that you’re flippant, scared or passive,” she adds. “If you’re under-qualified or you say the wrong thing, the interviewer can forgive that, but if your body language says you’re a person who doesn’t work well in stressful situations or that you’re not confident, that’s something they know they can’t change.”

So how do you avoid making body language mistakes? With practice and preparation.

“Practice entering and leaving a room, think about where you will put your briefcase during the interview, and plan how you will say hello and goodbye to the interviewer,” Wood says.

Preparation for the interview often builds confidence, Burns says. When you’re confident, you tend to have fewer body language issues.

The hiring manager looks for ways to set a candidate apart from others, Burns says. “The negative differentiators, like poor and ineffective body language, help make the decision easy for the hiring manager.”

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Excellent article and oh so true! Most people don’t even realize they are doing or not doing many of these things. I worked at two different companies that told me I was frowning all the time! I am such a happy person but my body screamed otherwise. Sometimes I need to mentally think, “smile, smile smile, give a good firm handshake, and keep those hands open and in front, no folding or putting behind my back!” It is hard sometimes, and unless it’s top of mind simple gestures can come across poorly, especially during an interview.

Definitely been there before. I don’t have the most expressive face sometimes, so what I considered a neutral expression, others sometimes interpreted as unhappy. Helps to be reminded of what others are seeing sometimes.

Thank you for another article reminding us how superficial and irrational hiring managers can be. As an advocate for individuals with disabilities, I think hiring managers would be better at retaining top talent if they looked beyond the physical deformities and idiosyncrasies before judging character, talent, or potential.

But such people requiring forgiveness for any medically documented tendency to have less than perfect body language have no place in the corporate office, eh? As far as people who lack confidence, being disqualified at the mere perception they lack confidence does nothing to build their confidence to help them escape the vicious cycle — and if no one’s buying your talents, then people who say you’re worthwhile must be lying.

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Thank you for sharing. It’s a good read that sums it up! I train young adults entering the workforce and go over all these points. They go through mock interviews at various stages of their professional development. I’d like to emphasize the part about eye contact. This can be tricky. If the interviewer seems uncomfortable making this connection, perhaps it’s better to tone down the eye contact. I’ve seen that adults and youth alike who are from various cultural backgrounds really struggle with eye contact because it was not part of growing up, and is seen as disrespectful for some. I try to have them understand the significance of establishing eye contact. When it’s not natural, one has to caution the person being interviewed someday not to stare either!

Really? Things have changed in the last six+ years. I was going through a really tough time, yet, I needed a job. Every interview is nerve wracking, but I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have if I didn’t believe in myself. My belief system is so strong, I used to joke “I fake it till I make it.” Today, that display of over-confidence has now been viewed as cockiness, and the excuse: “I’m over-qualified!” I really enjoy IT and have been engaged since the birth of Information Technology, so my passion for what I know, as well as my experience shines through. Suddenly, it’s been a negative instead of a positive. All of the truly “qualified” talented people are unemployed, while those in a position of power with mediocre skills eliminate them as potential competition.

Due to the precariousness of the current job market, talent truly is going to waste for these “average” workers who already have the job, falsely claiming there just aren’t enough qualified people available, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Very good article and brings out the points that we teach in our ESL Job Interview classes. Not only what you say but how you say it will clue an employer to your ability to fit in their job needs. Depending on whether you want the job or just the interview practice will determine the amount of time that you spend prepping for the interview. This should be seen as your greatest endurance test if you want to land the position.

Preparing for the interview should help ease much of the stress. We posted a few tips about interviewing http://academy.justjobs.com/the-complete-job-search-guide/#interviewing on our job search guide to help job seekers prepare. We also included other valuable information. I hope it’s useful. – Erich

Great article and so true, body language mistakes may cost individuals their job. Body language is the most spoken language in the world yet most do not understand how crucial it is to take the time and learn what our body is truly saying, thinking and feeling, and how we are perceived before we even start speaking. This article emphasizes a lot of the universal gestures we’ve included in our Body Language Flash Cards kit where individuals learn and master body language gestures to enhance their interview, communication, sales, relationship, presentation and leadership skills.

For anyone with an upcoming interview I highly recommend “The Complete Job Interview Preparation Course” DVD available from Amazon. Apart from a work book that requires your participation it also comes with 5 ( I Think ) interactive practice interview sessions.